Values

Our Purpose

The Center for Leadership Development at Western Seminary is a vital partnership between the Seminary and the local church that exists to provide a broad range of biblical, theological, and ministerial training resources to those seeking to be better equipped for service and/or ministry leadership.

Our Training

The Center for Leadership Development provides training that is…

Gospel-Centered

The Christian faith begins with the gospel. Effective service requires believers who understand the good news of Jesus Christ and its significance for them and their ministries. Consequently, our material places a high value on helping God's people understand his Word and its implications for understanding who He is, who we are, and how we should live in light of these truths.

Transformational

The gospel transforms people. The starting point for effective service must be a transformative encounter with the triune God through the power of the gospel. Understanding this, we have placed a high value on providing opportunities for spiritual formation, personal transformation, and ultimately church renewal. Although some of our courses make this a specific emphasis, all of our courses are taught with this end in mind.

Contextual

No one-size-fits-all approach to ministry preparation will be adequate for every context. Local leaders are best positioned to understand the particular needs of their context. Consequently, we have intentionally developed our material to allow for a high level of adaptability. Each course provides opportunities for reflection on how that material can and should be adapted and applied in particular ministries. Combined with the ability to select the courses most important for your context, our material provides the opportunity to create a highly contextualized formation program.

Flexible

Life is complicated. Not everyone can engage training material at the same time or in the same way. All CLD courses are web-based and can be completed by participants in their space and at their pace. In addition, all of the students in these courses can access our online discussion forums to receive the support they need while maintaining flexibility. So, whether you will be the only person in your church working through the material, or part of a larger study group, our material will work for you.

Personal

Personal relationships matter. Although our material can be accessed online by people in variety of geographical locations and life settings, we remain highly committed to the importance of connecting God's people to one another for effective ministry training. To this end, certificate programs include discussion forums that serve to draw people together over shared interests, ministry settings, or locations.